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Karpathia
Karpathia is the ancient capital of the Palachian Heartlands and one of the oldest centres of civilisation on Praxis. It is currently jointly ruled by King Oskhar the thirtieth of Karpathia and his Tulpa wife Queen Daegra and is known for a longstanding tradition of being welcoming to all who seek a home, no matter their species. The city's history The city was founded by Emperor Vygo, who ordered the people he'd conquered and forged into one nation to build. While he ruled with a steel fist (and advanced necromancy) for well over a thousand years and would later return from time to time not all records survived. Many were lost during the days following the murder of Oskhar the twenty-eight and the months of hardship and rebuilding that followed in the early reign of Oskhar the twenty-ninth. Queen Daegra has since taken steps to recover the lost histories. What has been gleaned so far though suggests few crown-sanctioned wars. The Heart of the Land The Heart of the Land is a mythic, semi-sentient force created by Emperor Vygo to 'patch' a hole left by an effort of the Nephyrum to destroy the civilisation Vygo's efforts had wrought. The layout of Karpathia Karpathia was designed by a military genius, having wide-lane roads for quick troop movements and yet confusing warren-like neighbourhoods that can stall lucky invaders if said roads are blocked. All roads lead to the Royal Palace, which is said to even predate the Citadel of Desires. Next to the palace is the mansion the current monarch uses as his family home. It is guarded within and without by mazes designed by the shadow-dowager queen Danthra. Underneath the city two separate systems for water storage and purification lie, cleverly hidden by the sewer system and myriad hidden passages. Near the gates to the city merchants ply their wares and many services are offered to both travellers and settlers. Any who wish to be a part of the Heartlands are welcome. Though before the issues with Demonic Energy were resolved in the early Renaissance, some species of mamonme were not allowed to settle. Nephyrum are still not allowed though, nor those associated with the Darklands. Populace While the vast majority of Karpathia's citizens are human, almost every other species can be found within the city's borders. Alva, Dwarves, Taintpledged (of good nature only), Mamonme (many Sorceresses) and even Merfolk freely add to the cultural flavor. Funnily enough, quite a few of them were born in the smaller towns and villages of the Heartlands. Aside from the general populace there are also the nobles, predominantly human, and the dead. The latter are not the undead, which also reside in Karpathia, but rather the citizens whose lives ended with finality. Their rest is guarded by ancient blessings. Ruins Chasers of the Heartlands Collective A nationalised collective of Ruins Chasers (archaeologists) dedicated to objectively cataloguing history across Praxis. They chase down lost ruins, historical books or anything else that can shed a light on the past. The current head of the collective is Queen Daegra.